Phelps Has a Golden Heart

Phelps Has a Golden Heart
I have always been impressed with professional athletes who go out of their way to give back to the community. Its one thing to have a charitable foundation but it's special when the athletes are out in the community in person especially with events and causes that benefit children. On the Orioles' first day off of the season I spent the evening at the Harford County Boys & Girls club annual fundraising dinner. My wife Bonnie and I were invited to attend and I was asked to emcee the...

Bergesen on track mentally and physically to make it to the big leagues

Bergesen on track mentally and physically to make it to the big leagues
The best approach a Minor League prospect can take is to work on his game, continue to improve, and put up numbers. Prospects get noticed by success and consistency. Brad Bergesen of the Bowie Baysox is doing exactly that, and he is pitching his way toward the Major Leagues. After beginning the season with Frederick, Bergesen was promoted to Bowie in April. The 22-year-old right hander has put together a breakthrough season for the Baysox, setting the Bowie franchise record for most wins...

O's bats entertaining to watch

O's bats entertaining to watch
There's nothing more entertaining than a well pitched Major League game, unless your team gets the big hit to upset the opponent's outing. And the Orioles have been getting more than their share of big hits. Did you know the O's have a team batting average .300 since the all star break? There are only 3 teams in the Major Leagues with a higher average since the break. The Rockies (.305), the Angels (.301), and the Mariners (.301), are the only teams with a higher batting average than...

Kranitz tells young pitchers to "be yourself"

Kranitz tells young pitchers to "be yourself"
Andy MacPhail has made it the Orioles' number one organizational priority: develop pitching. This season 23 different pitchers have appeared in games for the Orioles, several with little or no Major League experience. The opportunity is there. And pitching coach Rick Kranitz hopes the pitchers take advantage of it as they learn to succeed in the big leagues. Kranitz knows the most important thing for an inexperienced pitcher to remember is that it was talent that got him to the big...

Wieters backing up top prospect excitement

Wieters backing up top prospect excitement
When the Orioles drafted catcher Matt Wieters with the 5th overall pick in the 2007 draft, they knew they were getting a special player. He was the top rated position player in the draft; he's a switch hitter with power; and he understands what it takes to be a complete player. "You're not going to go four for four every day," Wieters said. "You're not going to get 2 or 3 hits or throw out 2 or 3 base runners every game. So every day you come to the ballpark you have to do something...

Roberts comes through for the kids

Roberts comes through for the kids
The 3rd annual Brian's Baseball Bash at ESPN Zone was an overwhelming success. And Brian Roberts again came through as a gracious and accommodating host. Three years ago, Roberts decided to do something big for the University Of Maryland Hospital for Children. Roberts is a frequent visitor of the children patients at the hospital, freely giving of his time, but he wanted to do more. And the idea of a big fundraising event was born. Brian's Baseball Bash not only raises money for the...

Bigger than a title

Bigger than a title
Ever wonder what your favorite broadcasters do during the baseball offseason when they're not announcing games for you every night on MASN? Here's a look at how one broadcaster has been filling his offseason hours along with his own reflection on the impact sports can have on people's lives. In the weeks since the end of the Orioles season I have had the opportunity to become a field hockey expert following my daughter Allie's Fallston High School team. OK, you're right. I'm busted....
Tags:

Increased Depth Sign of Orioles Improvement

Increased Depth Sign of Orioles Improvement
Quality Competition is the lifeblood of a major league baseball organization. And the Orioles are in the process of a competitive spring training camp for the 2009 season. After spending the last week with the O's in Florida it's apparent Andy MacPhail's blueprint for making the Orioles more competitive and getting them back into contention in the AL East is living and breathing on the pitcher's mound. The Orioles have 68 players on their spring training roster, and the talent of the...

Throw Strikes, Win More Games: The Pitching Mantra for 2009

Throw Strikes, Win More Games: The Pitching Mantra for 2009
When asked what he is looking for from the pitching candidates in spring training camp, O's manager Dave Trembley made a simple statement: "Pitch to contact and good things will happen." After a season of watching Orioles pitchers lead the major leagues in walks and hit batsmen the manager is looking for a staff to throw strikes, let the defense do its work, and make opponents earn their way on base. That's how you win games. With increased depth in the organization and prospects...

Big decisions remain for Opening Day roster

Big decisions remain for Opening Day roster
With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the Orioles still have some difficult decisions to make for that day's roster. The biggest decision is the make up of the pitching staff and whether to go with 12 or 13 pitchers. With the starting rotation still a work in progress, the Orioles may elect to take the extra pitcher over a 4th bench player as a guard against overworking the bullpen in early season games. The Orioles only have three days off in April and will play 32 games in the...

Roster balance and versatility

Roster balance and versatility
Andy MacPhail's announcement that the Orioles will go with a 12 man pitching staff on the Opening Day roster still gives the O's an extra arm if needed in the early season games. If the O's decide to keep the top four starters on normal rest in the rotation, the April schedule would allow Dave Trembley and Rick Kranitz to have the 5th starter available for long relief in several of the games in the first month. Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara, the top two starters will each get five...

A new set for O's Xtra

A new set for O's Xtra
Opening Day at Camden Yards was, as always, a big event, and successful with the Orioles' 10-5 win over the Yankees. There was a tremendous electricity in the air as O's fans, devoted to their team, made their presence felt and created an exciting home field advantage. Opening Day also brought the unveiling of the state of the art O's Xtra set in the picnic area behind the bullpens. The permanent structure is large and versatile and enhances our coverage of the Birds. All season long...

It's all about the "Series"

It's all about the "Series"
With their series win in Texas to begin the first road trip of the season, the Orioles have put together three consecutive series wins to begin the season for the first time since winning the first four series to begin 1998. After going wire to wire in 1997, the O's got off to a strong start in 1998 by taking 2 of 3 from the Royals and then sweeping three from the Tigers at Camden Yards. The O's then went on the road and swept a two-game series in Kansas City before taking 2 of 3 in...

Enjoy the success but remember the process

Enjoy the success but remember the process
Brad Bergesen was spectacular in his Orioles debut against the White Sox. He had a plan; he executed the plan; and he pitched. He mixed up his pitches, used his slider and change up effectively and he held a very good hitting White Sox team in check. Bergesen is an example of successful player development--a pitcher who signed out of high school, was brought along slowly, and understands how to use his talents. Orioles fans should be excited about the arrival of Bergesen as the first...

O's starters need to assume workload

O's starters need to assume workload
As the Orioles concluded their nine-game homestand, Koji Uehara gave the starting rotation a much needed deep outing. Uehara pitched 6.1 innings in a tough luck 3-2 loss to the Angels. Getting deep into games has been a consistent dilemma for the Orioles rotation and that has put the bullpen on overload to pick up the innings the starters can't complete. The O's bullpen went into Wednesday's game against the Angels having pitched 78 innings, the most of any bullpen in the American...

Talking hitting with the King

Talking hitting with the King
As The Orioles returned home to Camden Yards to open a seven-game homestand, I caught up with hitting coach Terry Crowley to talk about the O's 1-4 road trip and overall team hitting. Talking with "The Crow" on the field during batting practice, I asked Crowley about the numbers his hitters are judged by in the public and how he judges his hitters from his perspective as their coach. The Orioles as a team hit just .223 on the five-game road trip to Toronto and Tampa Bay. Those are the...

Chris Ray working hard to recapture his form

Chris Ray working hard to recapture his form
During an appearance at the ESPN Zone in the inner harbor Wednesday, Chris Ray reflected on the lonely time spent in Sarasota last season while rehabbing from reconstructive elbow surgery which cost him the 2008 season. Before signing autographs, Ray spoke to fans, recalling how tedious, and at times downright boring, the rehab process can be. Also because of the isolation of a long, slow rehab program, he said he tended to feel like he was no longer part of the team. But every morning...

Bergesen will learn from Yankee Stadium start

Bergesen will learn from Yankee Stadium start
Every young pitcher coming to the big leagues for the first time has to go through the adjustment process of facing experienced and patient major league hitters. Big league hitters know what they want to hit and they are patient enough to wait out a pitcher, especially an inexperienced one. Brad Bergesen has held his own in his first six starts for the Orioles, and his loss in New York against the Yankees will go a long way toward his continuing education, especially his battle in the...

Snapshots from Washington, DC

Snapshots from Washington, DC
For the first weekend of interleague baseball, the Orioles were scheduled in Washington D.C. for the first of their home and home series against the Nationals. It was a coincidence of the schedule but it was wonderful to be in the nation's capital over Memorial Day weekend. MASN combined its game crews and Jim Palmer and I got to share the booth with Nats announcers Bob Carpenter and Rob Dibble. It was interesting and a lot of fun to hear the Nats' perspective from Bob and Rob while...

Orioles covering the nation for 2009 Draft

Orioles covering the nation for 2009 Draft
Even with the Orioles on a west coast road trip, the Warehouse at Camden Yards has been a buzz of activity as Joe Jordan and his staff go through the final preparations for the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. This will be Jordan's fifth draft as the Orioles director of scouting. In a third floor conference room, reports on hundreds and hundreds of players fill the large table. A draft board goes through updates and changes. Empty food containers fill waste baskets. And the scouts on...